Interview] Yuri Komagata's beautiful vocals are the core of her 1st mini-album "[CORE]", a mature album

Yuri Komagata is a voice actress and artist who made her artist debut in June 2018 with "Tomare no Susume. She is finally releasing her first mini-album, which showcases her singing ability, which has been highly acclaimed for some time, as a solo artist. The title of the album is "[CORE]", meaning that her singing voice is the core of the album. All seven songs are new, and we can look forward to hearing what kind of expression she will bring to the album now that she has moved away from anime tie-ups and character songs!

This is an album that we hope you will take the time to enjoy the world of the songs!

─ ─ How do you feel your 1st mini-album "[CORE]" turned out to be?

Komagata: All seven songs are new, and I think I was able to deepen my view of the world as an artist. Even before we decided to release the album, I had a lot of discussions with the producer about what kind of songs I liked and what kind of songs I wanted to sing, and we came up with this album.

─ So you spent a lot of time exploring the direction you wanted to take.

Komagata: That's right. Also, the first single "Tomare no Susume" and its coupling song "Lonely Blue ga Endowo ni Atarimasu" became a benchmark for me. We sang this song as a test, but it turned out to be so well received that there were people who liked it the best. The fact that we thought that songs in the direction of "Lonely Blue" would also be accepted had a big influence on the mini-album.

─ ─ It was a mature and melancholy song, wasn't it?

Komagata: I have always listened to and sung karaoke songs that are quiet and not too bright. So this mini-album contains many songs that have the kind of musicality I like.

─ ─ What is your overall impression of the mini-album?

Komagata: Overall, I think the album has a wet impression. Rather than a live performance that everyone can get excited about together, I think it is a work that can be enjoyed by taking the time to appreciate the world of each song.

Komagata──Is this an album that is best enjoyed alone, playing it in your room or listening to it outside with headphones or earphones?

Komagata: Yes. I like to listen to it that way myself.

───How involved were you in the selection of the seven songs?

Komagata: Some of the songs were decided by the producer, and others were selected with my input. I wrote the lyrics to "Toki no Hoba" (Leaves of Time) myself, and I did everything from the song selection process. I wanted to sing a somber, dark song and write lyrics at the same time.

─ ─ What meaning did you put in the album title "[CORE]"?

Komagata: I chose this title because my voice is the core of the album. It was my manager's idea to use the word "[CORE]" in the title. During our meeting, I told him, "I don't want you to leave the core of Komagata's voice bare, but I want you to protect it carefully, so please put it in [ ].

─ ─ Those are loving words.

Komagata: Yes, that made me happy (laughs).

─ ─ ─ ─ The [ ] is also reflected in the jacket photo, isn't it?

Komagata: That's right. Even in the jacket, he is protecting me.